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Pete Academy
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Apologies if this has appeared before.

[url="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/rolling-stone-readers-pick-the-top-ten-bassists-of-all-time-20110331/1-john-entwistle-0795723"]http://www.rollingstone.com/music/photos/r...twistle-0795723[/url]

I don't get Cliff Burton's widdling.

As a huge Beatles fan I think McCartney is a songwriting god, but his bass parts are nothing special. Am I missing something?

Jaco is great, especially on this clip. Top of his game.

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[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1288156' date='Jun 30 2011, 08:16 PM']As a huge Beatles fan I think McCartney is a songwriting god, but his bass parts are nothing special. Am I missing something?[/quote]

Yes, I used to think the same until I started learning the parts, especially from the mid era (Rubber Soul, Revolver, White Album) :)

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Mystified by John Entwistle at No 1. Obviously a great band, obviously a steam train of a player, but compared to the soul greats... it just doesn't stack up.

Mind you the Ox topped Guitar & Bass's best bassist poll of a few years ago, and that was a readers' postal vote.

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[quote name='KK Jale' post='1288206' date='Jun 30 2011, 09:03 PM']Mystified by John Entwistle at No 1. Obviously a great band, obviously a steam train of a player, but compared to the soul greats... it just doesn't stack up.

Mind you the Ox topped Guitar & Bass's best bassist poll of a few years ago, and that was a readers' postal vote.[/quote]
The poll probably tells you more about the demographic of readership than anything else.

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I'm with Wooten, Geddy, Flea, Claypool, Burton and Jaco, the rest of them are IMO boring bassplayers who wrote boring basslines for boring bands. Nothing I've ever seen on the cover of Rolling Stone has ever persuaded me to pick the thing up, let alone read it, and the opinions of its readership has not done much to change this. The lack of Justin Chancellor I think is a bad one, he's written some great stuff. I'd also like to see John Myung up there, among others.

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[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1288156' date='Jun 30 2011, 08:16 PM']I don't get Cliff Burton's widdling.[/quote]

The 'big deal' about Cliff Burton is less his actual playing skills/style (which I'd argue are actually very inventive and leftfield, albeit a little sloppy at times) and more his overall influence on the world of bass playing - specifically in the metal genre.

If you don't like metal, then he'll probably mean very little to you and you'll be wondering what all the fuss is about. If you grew up with long hair and dirty denims (as I did!), then you'll be aware of how - during his peak in the early 80s - he was one of the most creative and influential bass players around. And still is, to some extent.

Plus, he got me listening to Bach, which opened up a whole new can of musical worms for me. So his "widdling" certainly has some worth in my opinion :)

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Some of them are among the "without whom" I'd never have picked up the instrument in the first place: Geddy, Jack Bruce, JPJ, John Entwistle (missing are Tony Levin, Chris Squire). Have come to love PMac, Victa and Jaco since.

I should really like Les Claypool but don't get it. (My Primus ticket is on eBay if anyone's interested). Flea, Cliff... not my thing either.

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[quote name='burno70' post='1288902' date='Jul 1 2011, 12:33 PM']There's never gonna be a 'best bassist' poll that everyone can agree with. It's a completely flawed concept - far too subjective.[/quote]

Very true.

But then, such polls always get people talking and airing their opinions... like we are here!... so they're not all bad.

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[quote name='Pete Academy' post='1288156' date='Jun 30 2011, 08:16 PM']As a huge Beatles fan I think McCartney is a songwriting god, but his bass parts are nothing special. Am I missing something?[/quote]


If what you say about his lines is true, then his inclusion could still be justified by what he was doing with and for the electric bass at the time, as an massive link / stepping stone in electric bass history

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[quote name='dc2009' post='1289142' date='Jul 1 2011, 03:12 PM']....I think his songwriting with the beatles was as pisspoor as his bass lines, in fact, I would go so far as to say the beatles are the most over-rated music act of all time....[/quote]
Good grief!! (slaps forehead!)

Edited by chris_b
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[quote name='chris_b' post='1289162' date='Jul 1 2011, 03:32 PM']Good grief!! (slaps forehead!)[/quote]

I'm just not a fan, in the slightest. The only songs of theirs I've liked have always been covered better by another band IMO, their own stuff is just plain old boring.

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